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Pirates Sink North Georgia 88-78 in PBC action
SAVANNAH, GA
– The North Georgia men’s basketball team saw their
seven-game winning streak come to a halt on Saturday afternoon as
Armstrong Atlantic snapped their nine-game skid and picked up their
first Peach Belt Conference victory with an 88-78 over the Saints
in Alumni Arena.
North Georgia drops their first game in 26 days, falling to 12-7
overall and 7-2 in the Peach Belt Conference, while the Pirates
improve to 6-13 on the season and 1-9 in the league.
With North Georgia holding a slim 14-13 lead with 13:39 left in
the first half, senior Keron McKenzie nailed back-to-back
three-pointers to put the Pirates up by five. AASU would stretch
that lead to nine, 42-33, at halftime as the Pirates hit 53.3
percent of their shots from the floor and also nailed six-of-10
three-pointers.
In the second half, another McKenzie three-pointer capped a 15-8
run coming out of halftime and put the Pirates up by 16, 57-41,
with 14:32 left. The Pirates led by as many as 19 in the second
half before North Georgia finally cut the lead to single digits
with one minute left. AASU hit 7-of-8 free throws down the stretch,
halting their longest losing streak since 1988.
Bernard Rimmer led the Saints with a game-high 24 points, while
Michael Moynihan added 10 points and four assists. Kindall Butler
and Carl Taylor both came up a point shy of double figures with
nine apiece.
Patrick Shokpeka led the Pirates in double figures, scoring 22
points on the night. Freshman David Pruett added 17 points, making
5-of-6 three-pointers, while Chris Vanlandingham added 12 points
and McKenzie chipped in 11.
The Saints shot 49.1 percent from the field, 47.1 percent from
long range, and 70.6 percent from the free throw line, while
Armstrong Atlantic was 55.4 percent from the floor, 55.6 percent
from behind the arc, and 72.7 percent from the charity stripe.
North Georgia returns to action on Wednesday evening, hitting the
road once again for another road contest, this time on the campus
of Georgia College & State University at the Centennial Center.
Tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m. against the Bobcats.
